Infant&#39;s sleeping and tethering garment



Oct 16, 1951 J. P. WHISKEMAN, .JR

INFANTS SLEEPING AND TErrHERING GARMENT Filed March 27. 1946 P INVENTOR'. @WW

HIS ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 16, `1951 INFAN'rs SLEEPING AND TETHERING -GARMENT 'f l James P. Whiskeman, Jr., Kirkwood, Mo.'

Application March 27, 1946:,seriaiNo. 657,542 'f 6 Claims. (Cl. 12S-134) This invention relates to infantsr sleeping garments. It has for itsfprincipal object to devise a garment of the above type having a tethercovers while permitting'they infant to turnover in the crib and allowing freedom'ofV movement of the infants legs. Other objects are to provide for quickly and easily detachably securing the tethering strap to the foot of the bed; to provide for separably connecting the 'tethering strap to the garment so that the strap may be detached from the garment and the infant removed from the crib without detaching the strap therefrom and so that the strap will not dangle `from the garment when the infant is out of vthe crib; to prevent accidental detachment of the strap from the garment; and to provide for holding the skirt portion of garments ofgown form down at the front and back. Theinvention consists in the infants 'sleeping and tethering garment and in thejparts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein likesymbols refer-to like parts wherever they occur,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a crib, showing an infant occupant thereof provided with a sleeping and tethering garment embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of said garment,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of sleeping and tethering garment; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of the crotch portion of the bifurcated garment shown in Fig. 5.

The infants sleeping and tethering garment shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the accompanying drawing comprises an ordinary gown or skirt type garment A and a tethering strap or tape B of cloth or other suitable fiexible material. Sewed or otherwise secured to the inner faces of the front and back of the skirt portion of the bed garment or gown A are semi-circular reinforcements I of cloth or other suitable material arranged with their straight lower edges ush with the lower edge of said skirt. Each of the reinforcements l is provided with one element of a separable fastener, preferably the socket element 2, of an ordinary head-and-socket type snap fastener.

The garment engaging end of the tethering ving strap for holding the infant under the'crib v strap or tape B is provided with two head members 3 of the above type of separable fastener, the head portions of saidmembers projecting on opposite sides of said strap and the two members being spaced apart transversely thereof. The other or anchoring end portion of the strap B is also provided with a conventional snap fastener,

Athe two members of said fasteners being spaced apart lengthwise of the strap along the longitudinal center line thereof with the head member 4 projecting from one side of said strap and with the socket member 5 located in the other side thereof.

Y The tethering strap or tape B is fastened to the fot end of a bedstead or crib C, preferably by passing the anchoring end of said strap around the foot rail D'of the crib spring and snapping the socket member 5 into engagement with the heador ball member3. The free end of the strap BY is then secured to the gown B worn by the infant occupant of the vcrib C by positioning said end between the opposing reinforcing members I fixed vto the bottom of the skirt at the front and back lportions thereof. Each ofthe two' head members 3 carried by "said end'of vsaid strap is then snapped into one of the two socket members 2 carried by the reinforcing members l.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 my invention is shown embodied in a garment A1 having a bifurcated lower portion. In this construction two overlapping semi-circular flaps Ia are sewed along their straight edges to the crotch portion of the bifurcated garment A1 and are each provided on their opposing faces with the snap fastener socket members 2 that are spaced apart crosswise rof said tabs. The tethering strap or tape B is secured to the garment A1 by placing the garment retaining end of said strap between the two crotch flaps. Ia and snapping each of the head members 3 of the snap fasteners into one of the socket members 2 of a fiap.

The hereinbefore described infants sleeping and tethering garment has numerous important advantages. The tethering strap may be quickly and easily anchored at one end to the foot portion of the crib and the other end of said strap may be readily fastened to the garment between the legs of the infant, thereby preventing the infant from climbingout of the covers while, at the same time, permitting the infant to roll sideways in the crib and to have free movement of its legs. The strap may be quickly and easily detached from the garment when it is desired to remove the infant from the crib or to allow the infant greater freedom of movement therein. When garments of the gown or skirt type are used, the strap serves to hold down the front and back portions of the skirt. The strap engaging portions of the garment serve to reinforce and strengthen the same and to prevent the fasteners from pulling out of these portions; and the transverse spacing of the two snap fasteners at the garmentl-iengagingend of the tethering .strap-or tape serves `to prevent Aaccidental disengagement of the snap fasteners.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described sleeping and tethering garment admits of considerable modification without departing'from the invenf tion. Therefore, I do not Wish to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and ldescribed# except as limited by the scope of .theeappended, l

claims.

What I claim is: ;4 l. An infants sleeping garment of bifurcated -form providing a reinforced crotch having afap A:withsecuringmeans thereon in thecrotch portion thereof and atethering strap `adapted to fbe .secured-atene end tothe foot of a bedstead,;and '-meansmfor -securing the other end of Saidst-rap ;to the securing meanson the crotch apfof said `bifurcatedgarment.

2. An infants sleeping-garment of bifurcated form'having'a pair of overlapping frontand back yflaps in the crotch thereof securing means on said flaps and a tethering strap adapted ,to-:be

fseparably attachedat one'end to the foot of fa bedstead, and means for separably securing said `other endof said strap to said former securing means between the pair lof crotch flaps of said bifurcatedggarment. 3. The combination set forth in claim 2 whereinfsaid-separable securing means comprises two .two-,part snap fasteners, one partof each.of'said `twicepart-fasteners being secured to :one of said protch Aflaps and the Icooperating part `l`being mountedon one .face of said strap. A. '.Theicombination set forth lin claim -2 wheref infsaid separable securing means comprises `two head-,and-.socketftype snap fasteners havinghead .dw-ice, ,the combination comprising a sleeping garment ha'ving'a body covering portion, a pair `f leg portions integral with said body portion land feir'cending'- ntherefrom,

a crotch portion rformedbetween said extended leg portions at the 'lower en`d o'f saidbody portion, a thin, narrow iiexihlefstrap, attaching means for applying said strap to a fixed object, a reinforced area in said protonportion` greater iin` width `than said narrow strap, andfasteningmeans attaching saidA strap `.toszliid reinforced-area,.saidfastening means po- .'sitioned at theoppositeend yof said -strap `from D said yfixedobject `appl-ying,means whereby va restrainingforce `is exerted .on said body portion .by said .fixed-object .through said strap and vis Ispread vont from said .strap through said wider `reinforced area.l

. JAMES?. WHISKEMAN, JR.

REFERENCES .CITED 'The following references 4are .of record in the dile .of this patent:

UNITED STATES .PATENTS Number y Y .Name Date V.15022,50'7 1 .Apr.f-9,.1912 Y1,320,032 .Bailey Oct. 28, 1919 :4,858,787 l .Ottenheimer May 1'7, 1932 ,42,014,478 Y .'*Luetteke Sept. 17, 1935 2,230,492 sHilby.- v., Feb. 14, 1941 2,284,448 A Reinholz `May 26, 1942 12,295,806 PCSCISQII Sept. 15, 1942 2,455,884 Steigerwald Dec. '1, 1948 

